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Email Normalizer

Q: Why are dots removed only for Gmail?

Gmail ignores dots in the local part — j.doe@gmail.com and jdoe@gmail.com deliver to the same inbox. Other providers treat dots as significant characters, so dot removal only applies to Gmail and Google Workspace domains.

Normalize an email address by handling dots, plus-aliases, and case

GET 1 credit /v1/email/normalize

curl "https://email.toolkitapi.io/v1/email/[email protected]" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

import httpx

resp = httpx.get(
    "https://email.toolkitapi.io/v1/email/[email protected]",
)
print(resp.json())

const resp = await fetch("https://email.toolkitapi.io/v1/email/[email protected]", {
});
const data = await resp.json();
console.log(data);

# See curl example

Response 200 OK

{
  "original": "[email protected]",
  "normalized": "[email protected]",
  "local_part": "johndoe",
  "domain": "gmail.com",
  "changes": ["gmail_dots_removed", "plus_alias_removed", "domain_lowercased", "local_part_lowercased"]
}

Description

Normalize an email address by handling dots, plus-aliases, and case

How to Use

1

1. Pass the email address as the `email` query parameter.

2

2. Use the `normalized` field as the canonical form for deduplication and lookups.

3

3. Check `changes` to see which normalizations were applied.

4

4. Compare normalized forms across your database to find duplicate accounts.

About This Tool

The Email Normalizer converts email addresses to their canonical form by handling provider-specific rules. For Gmail and Google Workspace addresses, it removes dots from the local part (j.o.h.n → john) and strips plus-aliases (user+tag → user). For all providers, it lowercases the domain and local part, and normalizes googlemail.com to gmail.com.

This is essential for deduplicating email lists where the same person may have signed up with different variations of their address (with dots, plus-aliases, or different casing).

Why Use This Tool

Account deduplication — Detect users who signed up with different email variations
Database normalization — Store canonical email forms for consistent lookups
Fraud detection — Identify users creating multiple accounts with dot/plus variations
Email list deduplication — Remove duplicate contacts before campaigns

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are dots removed only for Gmail?

Gmail ignores dots in the local part — [email protected] and [email protected] deliver to the same inbox. Other providers treat dots as significant characters, so dot removal only applies to Gmail and Google Workspace domains.

Are plus-aliases removed for all providers?

Yes, plus-alias stripping (user+tag → user) is applied for all providers, not just Gmail. While not all providers support plus-aliasing, the normalized form without the alias is the most common canonical representation.

Is the local part lowercased for all providers?

Yes. While RFC 5321 technically allows case-sensitive local parts, virtually all email providers treat them case-insensitively. Lowercasing provides the most practical canonical form.

Start using Email Normalizer now

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